La Liga leaders Barcelona will be bidding to bounce back from a surprise defeat before the November international break when they resume their league campaign away to Celta Vigo on Saturday night.
Barcelona lost 1-0 to Real Sociedad last time out, but they are still six points clear of second-placed Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table, while Celta drew 2-2 with Real Betis in their last match in Spain's top flight.
Match preview
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Celta boast a record of five wins, two draws and six defeats from their 13 La Liga matches this season, with a total of 17 points leaving them in 11th spot in the table, just three points off sixth-placed Athletic Bilbao.
The Sky Blues have been a good watch in La Liga this season, scoring 20 times, with only Villarreal (23), Real Madrid (25) and Barcelona (40) boasting stronger attacking records, while they have conceded 22, which is the joint-second worst defensive record in the division so far.
Claudio Giraldez's side were so close to recording a 2-1 victory over Real Betis before the international break, with the Vigo outfit ahead entering the final moments, only for Marc Bartra to net a late leveller for the hosts.
Celta are unbeaten in their last three matches, though, including a 1-0 success over Getafe in their last game in front of their own supporters, and they have won two of their last seven La Liga matches against Barcelona.
The Sky Blues finished 13th in La Liga last season, but they are certainly capable of claiming a top-half spot this term due to their talent in the final third, with a number of players making strong impressions in 2024-25.
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Barcelona, meanwhile, have been the best side in Spain's top flight this season, boasting a record of 11 wins and two defeats from their 13 matches, which has left them at the top of the division on 33 points.
Hansi Flick's side are six points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, but the reigning champions have a game in hand, with Barcelona's surprise defeat to Real Sociedad before the international break proving to be a damaging one.
Barcelona will be expecting to bounce back this weekend, and they were victorious in both La Liga meetings with Celta during the 2023-24 campaign, including a 2-1 victory in Vigo.
The Catalan outfit had been on a seven-game winning streak ahead of their defeat to Real Sociedad, and they now have three games in quick succession against Celta, Brest and Las Palmas before the end of the month.
Barcelona's final match ahead of the winter break in Spain comes against Atletico Madrid on December 21, and it will be fascinating to see how the table develops over the next few weeks, as Real Madrid are yet to find their groove this term.
Flick's team currently sit sixth in the overall Champions League table, meanwhile, having picked up nine points from their four matches, while they are the leading goalscorers in the competition this term with 15.
Team News
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Iago Aspas is the joint-second highest goalscorer in the all-time meetings between Celta and Barcelona on 11, while he sits just one behind Lionel Messi in the La Liga goalscorers list for his fixture.
As a result, a brace for the experienced forward this weekend would move him to the top of the standings, and the Spaniard has been in strong form for Celta this term, scoring four goals and registering three assists in 12 La Liga appearances.
Luca de la Torre, Jailson and Sergio Carreira remain doubts, but Celta have not reported any fresh concerns, so there are unlikely to be any surprises when it comes to their starting side.
There could be a change from the team that took to the field for the first whistle against Real Betis before the international break, though, with Javier Manquillo possibly coming in for Mihailo Ristic.
As for Barcelona, Robert Lewandowski trained on Thursday, so the striker, who did not represent Poland during the international break due to a back problem, is set to lead the away side's line this weekend.
Ferran Torres is also back in training after overcoming a hamstring problem, but Ansu Fati, Lamine Yamal, Eric Garcia, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marc Bernal, Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo are unavailable through injury.
Dani Olmo is expected to come back into the XI after starting on the bench against Real Sociedad, but the club are still being careful with Gavi due to the length of his recent absence, so the Spaniard is likely to start on the bench.
There are not expected to be any major surprises in the Barcelona side, with Frenkie de Jong again set to feature alongside the in-form Marc Casado in the middle of the midfield.
Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:
Guaita; J Rodriguez, Starfelt, Alonso; Mingueza, Sotelo, Beltran, Manquillo; Bamba, Iglesias, Aspas
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Casado, De Jong; Olmo, Pedri, Raphinha; Lewandowski
We say: Celta Vigo 1-2 Barcelona
Celta are more than capable of making this a tricky match for Barcelona, especially considering that they have won four of their seven home league matches this season, but Barcelona have the best away record in La Liga this term, winning six of their eight games, and we are predicting a narrow success for Flick's team.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
